Beauty expert Samantha Kochar is not seeking to step into her mother Blossom's shoes, but to find a place alongside.

When beauty and hair specialist, Samantha Kochar, now creative director, Pivot Point, was growing up, there was no pressure from aromatherapy founder and mom Blossom to take to the same profession. Samantha, who has been make-up artist to national and international celebrities, only knew that whatever she chose to be, she had to be the best and 'make a name for herself'.

Call it serendipity or childhood influence, Samantha has indeed gone on to make a mark in the same field as her mom but with the assured confidence that "my mom has always been there to hold my hand".

Like Mother

"To be honest, it has been quite tough; she (Blossom) is quite a personality and a name to stand up to," confesses Samantha. What she has done instead, is created her own niche: "Mom gave me the direction but I'm a completely different creature, I've added my own only because she set very high standards. I've never tried to step into her shoes because that is impossible. I just want to standby her side. "

On looking back, what Samantha recalls is that her mother always treated her like an adult and "used to take me for these lunches, just she and me. I must have been eight or nine years old and would be very excited." Somewhere, unwittingly, the influence must have petered down because Samantha found beauty and hair an exciting field even then, enough to cut and style the hair of her Barbie dolls! By the time she was 25, at a time when youngsters her age were just starting out, Samantha had made her mark.